The Abortion President?

Pro-Lifers Sound Warning on Freedom of Choice Act

WASHINGTON — According to the
victors in this year’s elections, America voted for change.

But
there’s one change that many Americans are not ready to embrace.

Over a year ago, Democratic
presidential hopeful Barack Obama promised Planned Parenthood that the first
thing he would do as president would be to sign the Freedom of Choice Act
(FOCA), legislation that would eliminate nearly every state and federal
abortion restriction put in place over the past 36 years.

The U.S. bishops denounced FOCA at
their November meeting.

Women who have had abortions
denounce it, too.

“It’s ludicrous … it horrifies me,”
said Susan Swander, an insurance agent in Waldport, Ore., who has had several
abortions. “They claim to be protecting women. I don’t understand the logic of
it.”

Swander understands how abortion
hurts both the unborn and women. Two of her three abortions took place at a
time when there were no restrictions in place. She described how that choice
led to “36 years of denial, shame, guilt, pain, sadness and anger.”

Now that Obama is president-elect
and looking forward to strong Democratic majorities inCongress, pro-lifers are moving swiftly to oppose the legislation
that could enshrine abortion as a right.

“We’re going to fight this very
hard,” said Deirdre McQuade, assistant director for policy and communications
with the Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities for the U.S. Conference of
Catholic Bishops. “It’s extreme, and it’s a very real threat to all the
pro-life gains made over the past 36 years.”

Cardinal Francis George, president
of the conference, said FOCA would:

•
“deprive the American people in all 50 states of the freedom they now have to
enact modest restraints and regulations on the abortion industry.”

•
“coerce all Americans into subsidizing and promoting abortion with their tax
dollars.”

San Francisco Archbishop George
Niederauer told reporters in Baltimore that it would be a mistake to interpret
President-elect Obama’s victory as a popular vote for FOCA.

“If you look at exit polls on
Election Day, you will not find very many people who came out of the polling
place and said their vote for either candidate was based on FOCA,” said
Archbishop Niederauer.

“We want to do all that we can to
reduce the number of abortions,” Boston’s Cardinal Sean O’Malley told The
Boston Globe. “Now they’re talking about pushing this FOCA, which
doesn’t sound to me like it’s going to try and reduce abortions, but simply
make them much more accessible to people, and pay for them at home and abroad.”

FOCA’s History

FOCA isn’t new. It was first
introduced in 1993 and more actively pursued during pro-abortion
administrations such as President Clinton’s. Under President George W. Bush,
the legislation had the threat of a veto, even if it could make it to his desk.

The legislation was reintroduced by
Sen. Barbara Boxer, D.-Calif., last year, one day after the Supreme Court
upheld the federal ban on partial-birth abortion.

“The reintroduction of the bill was
timed so that they could say, ‘even the Supreme Court is eroding our so-called
reproductive rights,’” said McQuade. “That was their intent.

“The language of the bill has
evolved,” added McQuade. “This is so extreme that most pro-abortion people
wouldn’t accept it if they understood what it does.”

If enacted, FOCA would invalidate
any federal, state or local government law, regulation, policy or action that
would “deny or interfere with” a woman’s access to abortion prior to
“viability,” or which would “discriminate against the exercise of” this right
in the regulation or provision of any “benefits, facilities, services or
information.”

That means that FOCA would
invalidate many laws that have been upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court under Roe
v. Wade, including laws restricting government funding of abortion,
limits on abortion in public or military facilities, full-disclosure counseling
requirements and bans on partial-birth abortion.

It would also invalidate all laws
requiring parental or judicial notification or consent for abortions performed
on minors, laws that permit health-care providers to opt out of participation
in abortion on conscience grounds, laws prohibiting non-physicians from
performing abortions, and waiting periods.

“FOCA would define abortion as a
fundamental right, and therefore, render illegal any discrimination against the
practice of that right,” said McQuade.

What Can Be Done?

The U.S. bishops’ conference and
pro-life advocates aren’t waiting to see what January brings.

The bishops’ conference has
developed ads that individuals and parishes can use in diocesan newspapers as
flyers and as bulletin inserts to educate people about the legislation. McQuade
said that during the conference’s Baltimore meeting Nov. 10-12, the U.S.
bishops expanded their priority to uphold the life and dignity of the human
person.

Other organizations are busy trying
to rally opposition to the legislation, as well.

National Right to Life and the
National Committee for a Human Life Amendment have issued action alerts
encouraging individuals to call or write their congressional leaders, asking
them to oppose the legislation.

The Chicago-based national pro-life
organization Americans United for Life is asking those concerned to sign its
“Fight FOCA” petition, which it will deliver to members of Congress. To date,
more than 60,000 individuals have signed the petition.

“The first time the legislation was
considered, some thought it was too extreme,” said McQuade. “Many backed away
from it, and it created division among pro-abortion members of Congress. Our
hope is that even pro-abortion elected officials will see it as something they
don’t want to put their name on and that it won’t even make it to the
president’s desk.”

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